6.  The applicant was born in 1959 and originates from Mosul.
7.  The applicant arrived in Sweden on 2 January 2008 and applied for asylum two days later. In support of his application, he submitted in essence the following. He is Christian, and is married and has two children. His wife and children lived in Syria. He claimed that he had been persecuted due to his Christian beliefs and the fact that he was well-off as part-owner of a sheet-metal workshop. In August 2006 he had been kidnapped at his work place. The kidnappers had told him to pay money to Al-Tawahid and Al‑Jihad, groups fighting against the American troops. After paying 50,000 U.S. dollars he had been released. In December 2006 he had again been contacted by the groups mentioned, which demanded more money. They had threatened to kill his children and to blow up his workshop, if he failed to pay. He and his family had therefore left their house and stayed with various friends. Two months later, he had been told that his workshop had been plundered and blown up. In September 2007 the applicant and his family had left for Syria with the help of a smuggler. However, they had returned to Iraq shortly thereafter, since the smuggler could not arrange for their departure from Syria. Again, they had stayed with friends. In December 2007 the applicant had departed for Sweden. The rest of the family had left for Syria, where they remained in difficult circumstances. The applicant also claimed that his sister-in-law had been murdered outside her work place in late 2008, allegedly as retribution against the applicant and his family.
8.  On 3 March 2009 the Migration Board (Migrationsverket) rejected the application. The Board noted that a long time had passed since the alleged incidents had taken place. It further pointed out that the applicant had stayed in Mosul for almost a year after the kidnapping in 2006 without facing any further threats. Also, the family had returned to Iraq after they had left for Syria. The Board further considered that there was nothing to indicate a connection between the applicant and the murder of his sister-in-law. In sum, there was no individual threat against the applicant.
9.  The applicant appealed, adding that there was no internal relocation alternative for him in the Kurdistan Region, as there were entry restrictions and a requirement of a sponsor. Moreover, it was not a reasonable alternative due to the lack of, for instance, work, housing and food. Furthermore, he claimed that, after his departure from Iraq, the Mujahedin had found out that he had had a homosexual relationship and that, as a consequence, his partner had been stoned to death. The Mujahedin had also been looking for the applicant in 2009 due to this relationship. He had not revealed this information earlier as he had not been aware that homosexual relationships were accepted in Sweden. Despite this relationship, his intention was to continue living with his wife.
10.  In reply, the Migration Board submitted that the applicant, as a Christian, had a need of protection in regard to Mosul, according to the latest country information. However, he was not facing any risks outside of Mosul and the Kurdistan Region constituted a reasonable relocation alternative. As to the new personal information given by the applicant, the Board noted that it had not been submitted in the beginning of the proceedings, although the applicant must have understood the importance of stating all the important facts at once. Noting that there was no substantiation for the claim, the Board found that the story lacked credibility.
11.  On 18 May 2010 the Migration Court (Migrationsdomstolen) upheld the decision of the Board. Like the Board, the court noted that a long time had passed since the occurrence of the alleged incidents. It further held that they were rather connected to the general security situation in Iraq than to the applicant’s religious affiliation. In regard to the applicant’s statement that he had had a homosexual relationship, the court found that he had not given a reasonable explanation for his having made this claim so late in the proceedings. It noted, in this respect, that he had been informed, during the interviews at the Board, that civil servants of the Board and all other people present were bound by professional secrecy. Having regard to this and the applicant’s account of the events, the court found reason to strongly question the veracity of this statement. Referring to recent country information, the court went on to state that there was no reason to deviate from the Board’s assessment that, being a Christian from Mosul, the applicant was in need of protection. In regard to the possibility of internal relocation, it held, however, that recent country information showed that there were no restrictions against entering the Kurdistan Region and that there were no systematic discrimination of any religious groups in that area. Considering this and the fact that the applicant was an adult married man in good health, the court found that it was reasonable for him to relocate to the Kurdistan Region.
12.  On 13 July 2010 the Migration Court of Appeal (Migrations-överdomstolen) refused the applicant leave to appeal.